The Bulletin
of the
Church of Christ at
New Georgia
Tim Johnson, editor
October 17, 2004
In
This Issue:
Hate
Evil
by
Carrol Sutton
Get
Help for Your Children
by
Steve Klein
Hate Evil
We learn from Ecclesiastes 3:8 that there is "A time to love and a time to hate..." Without question, there is a time to hate. The time to hate is when God says hate.
Since there is a time to hate, it is obvious that there are some things we should hate. We have no right to love things that God says hate and we have no right to hate things that God says love.
A long time ago God said to Israel (through Amos): "Hate the evil..." (Amos 5:15) The Psalmist said: "Ye that love the Lord, hate evil..." (97: 10). Through Isaiah, the Lord declared: "Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter." (5:20). To saints in the NT God commanded: "Abhor that which is evil..." (Romans 12:9). It is a serious matter if we love things we should hate, and hate things we should love.
We must go to God's Word to learn what we should hate. Let us consider some things we should hate.
1. INIQUITY (LAWLESSNESS). God said to His Son: "Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated Iniquity..." (Hebrews 1:9). The Son is our example in hating iniquity. We learn from Matthew 7:21-23 that workers of iniquity will be told by the Lord, "...I never knew you: depart from me..."
2. PRIDE, ARROGANCY, THE EVIL WAY AND THE FROWARD (PERVERSE) MOUTH. Proverbs 8: 13 says: "The fear of the Lord is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth do I hate." We should hate these things.
3. FALSE WAYS. Psalms 119:104 says: "Through thy precepts I get understanding: therefore I hate every false way." Since we can receive understanding through the precepts of God we should hate every false way.
4. VAIN THOUGHTS. Psalms 119:113 says: "I hate vain thoughts: but thy law do I love." We, too, should love God's law and hate vain thoughts.
5. LYING. Proverbs 13:5 says: "A righteous man hateth lying..." We learn from Revelation 21:8 that "...all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death."
6. WORKS OF THE FLESH SUCH AS ADULTERY, FORNICATION, UNCLEANNESS, LASCIVIOUSNESS, IDOLATRY, WITCHCRAFT, HATRED, VARIANCE, EMULATIONS, WRATH, STRIFE, SEDITIONS, HERESIES, ENVYINGS, MURDERS, REVELLINGS, AND SUCH LIKE. Read Galatians 5:19-21. Also read 1 Cor. 6:9-11; Matthew 15:19-20 and Romans 1:24-32.
Since we are commanded to hate or abhor evil, we must give diligence to exercise our senses by rea-son of use to enable us to discern both good and evil (see Hebrews 5:14).
Do you hate evil? Evil in every form? Do you really abhor it? Do you condemn it? Are you aggressively opposing it? You should be.
By Carrol R. Sutton
Recently I was asked to respond to this question: Do you ever meditate using any meditational processes? I answered that, "I think everyone meditates. That is, we focus our thinking while in a relaxed mood or state. But if you're asking if I use some technique such as transcendental meditation to meditate, the answer is ohmmmmm . . . not me."
A lot of people have the idea that there is something mystical about meditation. Perhaps they have been influenced by certain eastern religions where the purpose of meditation is to not think, but to empty one's mind in order to achieve some altered state of consciousness. Such a view turns the meaning and purpose of meditation upside down. Here's a good definition of what meditating really is from Merriam Webster's online dictionary: "to focus one's thoughts on: reflect on or ponder over." Here's another from their children's dictionary: "1) a: to consider or think over carefully: CONTEMPLATE b: to spend time in quiet thinking: REFLECT."
Inner peace and true spirituality are not found by "thinking about nothing," but by focusing thought on God and His will. The Scriptures promise that God "will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed" on Him (Isaiah 26:3).
Times of solitude, when our minds are otherwise unoccupied, are great opportunities to grow spiritually. Whether driving a car (with the radio off), or taking a walk, or sitting in the porch swing, or lying awake in bed at the end of the day -- meditation will bring peace and spiritual focus to our lives. Of course we need to meditate on the right things, such as&ldots;.
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God's blessings and goodness. King David said, "When I remember You on my bed, I meditate on You in the night watches. Because You have been my help, Therefore in the shadow of Your wings I will rejoice" (Psalm 63:6-7).
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God's word -- its content and application to our lives. The man who is living a blessed life delights in the Law of the Lord and "meditates day and night" in it (Psalm 1:1-2). He doesn't merely think about what God's law says, but he also considers how God's law can be applied in his life. In Psalm 119:97 the Psalmist declares, "Oh, how I love Your law! It is my meditation all the day." And then in verses 105 and 106 he says, "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. I have sworn and confirmed that I will keep Your righteous judgments."
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The needs of others and what you can do to help. Hebrews 10:24 commands us to "consider one another in order to stir up love and good works." While we often interpret this to refer to stirring up or provoking others to do good, it may refer as much to motivating ourselves to do good. When we "consider" or meditate on others and their needs, we are more likely to be moved to do something helpful for them.
"Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy-meditate on these things" (Philippians 4:8).
by Steve Klein